Any migraine-ologists out there?

I had a new one recently, rather than the usual simultaneous pain/sparkles in my vision/nausea, I had a jagged line of distortion (same in both eyes) and loss of peripheral vision to the left (of both eyes) for a good hour before the pain/nausea kicked in. A bonus was that it only lasted about 6 hours compared to the usual rest of the day and most of the night.

Any ideas why the symptoms would change? I’m not a hypochondriac, just intrigued 🙂

Can’t help you with why the symptoms have changed.

However, your different symptoms are an exact match for mine.

I am now 99% certain that my migraines were caused by muscular strain in my neck and at the back of my head. Have you done anything lately that would put strain on your neck?

that sounds like my typical attacks. take 2 migraleve pink tablets as soon as you notice the loss of peripheral vision and it’s manageable for the rest of the day.

I think mine are stress related – I used to get 2 or three a week when I worked on an IT helpdesk. When I changed jobs to a pure development role, they eased up to about one or two a year

I get regular migraines, though visual distortions are not part of my aura. On the 3 occasions I’ve experienced them I never then get the headaches. Go figure!!

Good to know it’s a common visual disturbance, I don’t want to be medically interesting if I can help it.

Mine are often stress related, though this latest one was on the way back from the Peaks Pootle, so it had been a good day!

Since they started 10 odd years ago the only significant respite I’ve had was after a head injury, for two years I couldn’t get a headache even if I tried, not even hangovers 🙂

Then I ‘recovered’ 🙁

And just to add to the weirdness – mine used to be 24 hr jobs but in last 10 yrs have generally been 15 mins of shimmering vision and then fine. Odd stuff

Mine are 60 hour jobs 🙁

The visual stuff is reasonably common. I get very wavy lines right across my entire vision for about an hour before it really kicks in. That’s my warning to get to bed with a bottle of water and a bucket.

My vision typically shuts down completely after a few hours but my spine is so locked down by that stage I rarely give a toss.

Mine are always the same trigger, I need to be tired and then get exposed to dramatic changes in light such as passing from a dark place to a sunlit place. CLICK! Like that.

bet that’s a bugger on summer rides in the woods

Yup I get that too and have been fighting one today.

I carry cocodamol with me most days especially at work to control one of it starts or at least try to. This am it was really starting to kick in but had no water to mix my cocodamol with, I did have a coffee though so let that cool. Chucked 2 in it by hell what a freaking kick that was and settled it instantly. It’s creeping back now.

Sound like mine, still trying to work out the exact trigger, although hunger (presumably low blood sugar) + bright reflections are always risky.

bet that’s a bugger on summer rides in the woods

Aye, polarised glasses help.

Oldnick. If you’re starting to get migraines after a ride, I’d get checked out. 1 in 4 people have congenital heart defects which have been found to be a contributing factor to migraines. I discovered I have a hole between the upper chambers of my heart when I suffered a TIA after mountain mayhem this year. Apparently, they can close the hole and often this will have a positive effect on the headaches as well as reducing the risk of further strokes.
Interestingly, although I’ve had this from birth, I only very recently started to experience exercise related headaches. I’ve had migraines for most of my adult life though and always thought them to be stress related. I think there can be more that one trigger in a lot of cases because chocolate or alcohol can also cause an onset for me. Bummer!

At about the age of 18 my migraines changed to include an aura before the headaches….
Then a few years ago the aura became very strong, and was similar to yours (wavy lines to the side of the visual field), with a massive blind spot too.
It’s interesting how the mind ‘fills in’ the spot, as it’s not a ‘black space’ like you would think, but my brain’s attempt at adobe content aware fill…..! Except things that should be there aren’t (words, faces, cars…)

Also, I too have bright lights as triggers – which was a pain when I worked in a surgery with the window facing the afternoon sun. Glare + slatted blinds = frequent migraines!

DrP

Glare + slatted blinds = frequent migraines!

that too when I was on the helldesk

Also, I too have bright lights as triggers

Edit–got quotes wrong first time

Same here, often a glare off a car bumper or rear window, but for me any flash of light can trigger it. I have had them for 45 years and tried every prescription made–most work, but side effects suck.
Finally found a product called Lipogesic-M (the herb feverfew and ginger in a sublingual gel) Over the counter at some pharmacies (at least here in the US) and available online. Works much better than any prescription med and costs much less—with almost no side effects.

Mine are visual, a blurred spot in the centre of my line of vision, which then gradually becomes an area of a sort of greyish/coloured sparkly zig-zag lines in a ‘C’ shape, always facing the same way, which gradually expands until it’s out of my visual area, and I’m left with a nauseous headache. No idea what triggers it, sometimes when I’m stressed, but I’ve actually woken up with the sparkly ‘C’ shape before I’ve even got my eyes open!
Bloody good start to the day that is.
Generally, if I neck a couple of ibuprofen when I see the first blurred spot, that helps control the eventual headache.
I’m so grateful I don’t get the vomiting and everything that some people suffer from.
An ex did, and it was really miserable for her, poor lass, sometimes a couple of days in a dark room with a bucket.
Sheer misery. 🙁

I’m still trying to work out what the main triggers are for my migraines, after years of keeping diaries I know that dehydration, low blood sugar and stress are triggers for me, but I still get frequent migraines when I control the other triggers.
I’m doing a talk on migraine at the House of Commons next week!

I was once too slow to get moving when one started so it was in full swing while I was cycling home from work. I could barely see, my upper body was twisted over to one side with my back arched, I was in absolutely agony and was throwing up every five minutes.
How I got home I don’t know but my wife said I just let my bike lying in the back yard, stumbled into the house banging into things, crawled up the stairs and she found me half lying in bed looking like I had rigor-mortis, unconcious in my sweat, rain and sick soaked cycling clothes (including shoes).

When I woke up the next day I had that ‘been beaten up by a very enthusiastic gorilla’ feeling and was so weak I could hardly move. That was a real nasty one. Thankfully I don’t get many that bad any more.

Geez, sounds bad. I’m lucky in that headaches are very rare things for me and a couple of paracetamol sorts it out pronto.

I’m 52 and have had them all my life although sometimes a year apart, sometimes a week. I too can’t pin down the triggers although I know citrus fruits, bright lights have been two, but definitely not stress.

I get mtb related migraines which start with a white out then loss of vision, vomiting & a headache from hell if I dont get enough electrolyte into me whilst riding.

Also if im overheating a migraine will come on usually 10-30 mins post ride. I carry a spare bottle of water just to tip over my bonce to cool down.

Works for me.

I get the sparkles in my vision and afterwards feel sick although have never actually been sick. I never get any pain or headaches though. Don’t know if that counts as a migraine or something else.

Is that not classed as an eye migraine or something? Either way not pleasant.

The most recent episode gave me a pounding headache afterwards for 3 days. And that was catching the start of it on time with the Migraleave tablets !

mrs G suffers a lot with (stress) related ones also posture related, often uses some sort of antacid resolve/andrews etc and paracetamol this controls symptoms well for her. that and hot baths 😯

I have suffered from this all my life. My mum also has then. Mine start off with spots in my vision, they also always start whilst I am asleep in.

As a rule after I up chuck I feel a lot better, apparently I begged my wife to shot me once!

My sympathy to those that suffer, nasty things.

I suffered from migraine from my early 20s (so about 15 years), even to the point of having 2 or 3 a week at one point. Ended up on all sorts of drugs, had MRI scans etc… Only thing that helped was diazepam to knock me out for the day or so I felt like I was being carved up from inside.
Finally had an eye test and although my prescription is very weak, almost to the point of not being there at all as soon as I started wearing glasses my migraines almost disappeared. Still get them when I’m tired and in environments with changing light levels, flickery strip lights etc… But maybe two or three a year now.